I had 2 xbox 360's. One would over heat and shut down and the other wouldn't read movies or games. I tried Swapping drives but then the games wouldn't read. I immediately looked up possible reasons and came across this forum explaining how the drives are married to their motherboards. So I swapped the lasers and put the drives back in their original boxes. So now the one that doesn't overheat is working with the overheating console's laser. ALL is good.

6 Answers

Did you buy the console used? If it was doing that when you bought it, than it may have a "Lost DVD Key." Xbox 360 DVD drives are "Married" to the motherboard of the console that they came with. If you simply replace a faulty drive with a working one, the console will not read game discs, only DVDs and CDs. You need to either repair the original drive, or swap it's controller board with a drive of the same model. (There are a few different drive variants, so you need a drive of the same model) If repairing the drive / putting it's controler board into an identicle drive doesn't solve your problem, there is really no possibility of regaining game functionality (unless the console is on a very old version of the dashboard, but I'll go into that more, if it's nessicary)

Is there a way to see which controller is married to the MB? Serial number identification or other way? I have a few Xbox360s I had taken apart and maybe I have misplaced some parts or swapped them, and it seems it would be easier to identify them by some marker than putting each one in a system until maybe it works, and if its a bad laser, then who knows?! Whoops!

Please tell me there is some identification to check this with the MB!

Unfortunately, you can't just swap dvd drives in an xbox 360 and have them work. You have to replace with the same type of drive and retrieve the dvd key from the original drive and spoof it to the new drive. It sounds harder than it is, but it does require hooking your xbox drive to a desktop computer with a via sata pci card.

I had the same problem, where my DVD drive wouldn't play anything at all. I swapped drives and movies would play but not games. So I swapped the Printed Circuit board from the old drive to the new and it worked just as new and no need to flash. Just make sure your replacement DVD Drive is the same model as your old. There's tons of you tutorials on how to swap PCB on youtube. Keep in mind that some models involve soldering but thats easy as well. NOTE: My Xbox in the old FAT one NOT the slim. No sure if this would work on a slim.

The problem is not only that the drive and motherboard are cryptographically married.

There seem to be a lot of checks being made between drive and motherboard, that will cause your console to not being able to update if you have a replaced drive.

The last update in spring 2011 was specifically made to detect modified drives, and in turn a lot of consoles with swapped out drives would not be able to finish the update, as the altered firmware on the replaced drive was not properly flashable by the update.

So essentially, if you want to continue to play the latest games, that require an updated firmware, do NOT attempt a self repair.

You can't swap the drive without extracting the key from the old drive and flashing it onto the new one. This is a service I repair (UK based) as a mail in service. If you want any more information you can email me at GizmoWishlist@gmail.com.

Swapping the PCB is possible but it's easier to just replaced the laser.

You can just swap the drive, you just have to make sure you swap the old drive pcb into the new drive (requires a bit of soldering). As everyone has said, the pcb is married to the motherboard so it needs to stay with that console. Yes it's easier to just swap the laser over. Gotta make sure it's the same kind of drive though.

If there is any way to transfer the old key electronically. I know Microsoft and Bill Gates are greedy bastards, but it's un-American to sell a guy a car and never expect him to repair it. let me know. Thanks

Resources

Repairability

Stay in the loop

It's time to speak out for your right to repair

We have a chance to guarantee our right to repair electronic
equipment—like smartphones, computers, and even farm equipment. This is a once-in-a-generation
chance to protect local repair jobs—the corner mom-and-pop repair shops that
keep getting squeezed out by manufacturers.

Join the cause and tell your state representative to support Right to Repair. Tell them you believe repair should be fair, affordable, and accessible. Stand up for your right to repair!